The Wine

Our Founders Cuvée Pinot Noir is crafted with grapes picked from our Old Vineyard Block, our original vineyard site planted by founders Susan Sokol Blosser and Bill Blosser back in 1971. Composed of Pommard and Wädenswil 1A clones, and a Gamay-like clone we identify as Pinot Droit, the Old Vineyard Block was replanted in 2007 and 2009, as the original plantings were eradicated by phylloxera. Cuttings from fruiting vines were taken from the original plantings and grafted onto rootstock for the replant. The soil is all Jory, the distinctive red clay loam of the Dundee Hills, deposited repeatedly by the Columbia River Basalt Flows 14 to 17 million years ago. 15,000 years ago, the Missoula Floods swept through the Willamette Valley, reaching a height of 300 feet and leaving silt deposits behind. The red volcanic soil above the 300-foot mark that remained untouched forms what is today the Dundee Hills AVA. Pinot noir from the Dundee Hills exhibits characteristic flavors of finessed earthiness and minerality.

Our certified organic farming practices ensure healthy, balanced vines. Careful handwork on each vine and limited yields allow our vines to produce fruit that truly expresses the brilliance of our site. The grapes from the Old Vineyard section of the vineyard were hand-harvested over a period of a week and half for complexity. The Pommard came in first on September 25th at 22.3 Brix, the Pinot Droit on September 28th at 22 Brix and the Wädenswil on October 4th at 24.8 Brix.

We hand sorted through every grape before it went into a fermenter; these grapes were de-stemmed without crushing, to preserve as many whole berries as possible. 25% of the fruit went through an ambient fermentation while the remaining portion was inoculated with a yeast that follows a long, steady, cool fermentation curve. After pressing, the wine went very quickly to barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation. The barrels, 28% of which were new, were all fine-grain French oak with a medium-light toast from a number of different French cooperages. This wine spent a total of 17 months in barrel.

Only five cases of this 2017 Founders Cuvée Pinot Noir were created, exclusively for the 2019 Auction. The wine has power coming from Pommard, nice berry notes from the Pinot Droit and some wonderful acid from the Wädenswil. We recommend aging this wine until at least 2023. With proper cellaring, it will continue to develop and drink beautifully for another 20 years or more.

THe Winery

For nearly 50 years, the Sokol Blosser family has been perfecting Pinot noir. Since founders Susan Sokol Blosser and Bill Blosser planted their first vines in 1971, the family has pursued winemaking excellence through environmentally friendly techniques. Today, situated on a certified organic 85-acre property in the Dundee Hills appellation, and farming another 43 acres of vineyards in Dundee Hills and Eola-Amity Hills, B Corp–certified Sokol Blosser remains committed to a sustainable approach. The winery has entered a new millennium of winemaking under the guidance of CEO and Co-President Alison Sokol Blosser and winemaker and Co-President Alex Sokol Blosser.